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Texas Teacher of the Year from Round Rock visits White House

Texas Teacher of the Year from Round Rock visits White House

One Round Rock teacher has had quite a ride after being named Texas Teacher of the Year — a ride that’s taken her all the way to the White House.

Revathi Balakrishnan, talented and gifted teacher at Patsy Sommer Elementary School, was selected as Texas Teacher of the Year and Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year in October. Since receiving the state recognition, Balakrishnan has been reading and learning about educational policy.

“It’s as though someone lit a fire under me,” she said. “I’ve grown a lot since October.”

Balakrishnan was able to further her policy education during a trip to the White House May 1-6 for National Teacher Appreciation Week. Balakrishnan attended White House policy briefings with members of the U.S. Department of Education, she said. She attended sessions designed to get teacher input on “what the broader vision is and what (policymakers) can do to help us,” she said.

“That was very refreshing that finally people were asking the teachers — who are the experts on teaching — for their opinion to make things better,” Balakrishnan said.

Meeting the president

Not everyone gets to meet a United States president, but on National Teacher Appreciation Day, Balakrishnan, other state teachers of the year and Jahana Hayes, National Teacher of the Year, got the chance.

On May 3, Balakrishnan said the group of teachers arrived at the White House, went through security and met with President Barack Obama before he spoke at a ceremony celebrating National Teacher Appreciation Week. She was only able to say a few words to the president, who asked her what she taught, but said it was a great experience.

During the ceremony Obama introduced the Teacher of the Year and remarked on the importance of educators to the country’s future.

“In their daily lives the men and women who teach our children are fulfilling the promise of a nation that’s always looking forward, that believes each generation has a responsibility to help the next in building this great country of ours and making the world a better place,” Obama said.

Balakrishnan also met with Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden, an education advocate, at a reception held at their home, she said. “It was great meeting them,” she said. “They were so down to earth.” She said the vice president and his wife mingled with the teachers and took selfies.

During the trip, Balakrishnan also attended a gala for the teachers of the year at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center where Secretary of Education John King spoke. “It’s one evening to let go and say, ‘OK, I’m going to let myself be celebrated,’” Balakrishnan said. “You know, teachers are not like that. It’s always about students and it was very difficult for me to just say, ‘OK, can I say this is about me? Just for one night?’”

But in the end, Balakrishnan said, it’s not about her. “It’s about all the teachers in Texas,” she said. “I wish I could’ve taken all of them with me. It would’ve been so much fun because they deserve it too.”

Teacher voice

Balakrishnan said she believes the conversation about teachers is starting to change. “Teacher voice” is something officials are starting to take into account, she said, and the teaching profession is becoming elevated.

“The majority of your budget — the majority of your employees — are teachers,” she said. “To elevate teacher voice and to have either the state or the district look to teachers to shape the policy, I think that is the next best step.”

Balakrishnan said for this reason teachers would advocate only the best policy. However, she said teachers must also be looked after. “I always say, ‘You must grow good teachers so that you can grow good students,’ ” she said.

Teacher mentoring is one of Balakrishnan’s passions. A first-year teacher needs help in classroom and time management as well as teaching techniques, which she said can be overwhelming. Balakrishnan wants to work for the “newcomers” to teaching so they can be welcomed and mentored.

“We don’t want them to be disillusioned and leave the profession,” she said. “If we can retain those teachers, there are a lot of intangibles that come with it that can’t be measured like relationship with students and experience.”

Balakrishnan is currently in early discussions with the Round Rock school district about creating a mentor program for new teachers.

“This district is amazing, a very progressive district,” she said. “We’ve got leadership that are willing to listen to new ideas, however crazy it might seem.”